Rolls-Royce

Delivering Comprehensive Turbine Solutions

Rolls-Royce produces one of the broadest turboshaft and turboprop engine families available, with a power range of 300 shp to more than 7,000 shp.

This broad product range powers more than 100 different aircraft models including helicopters, light fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles in both civil and military markets. Rolls-Royce supports this installed fleet of 18,000 engines via a global logistics and support network tailored to the varying requirements of more than 4,500 different operators. The Rolls-Royce helicopter engine fleet has accumulated in excess of 200 million flight hours in virtually every conceivable mission type and operating environment.

Since 2007, the product portfolio has been enhanced and expanded through the launch of the RR300 turboshaft, the RR500 turboprop and the RR500 turboshaft. Additionally, new applications for the Model 250 and CTS800 announced in the past two years continue to broaden the OEM customer base for Rolls-Royce products.

2009 Highlights

Despite significant economic headwinds during 2009 which impacted many segments of the helicopter industry, Rolls-Royce achieved a number of notable milestones. Weakness in certain markets was offset by strength in others, highlighting the value of a business model characterized by a diverse portfolio of products, services and markets served. Rolls-Royce continues to focus on customer satisfaction and to pursue a consistent strategy of delivering long-term growth.

In February of this year, the new RR500 turboshaft was unveiled at Heli-Expo 2009. This new engine represents the latest addition to the growing RR family of powerplants. The RR500 turboshaft shares a high degree of commonality with the RR500 turboprop launched in 2008 at EAA Airventure, offering more power at takeoff and in hot-and-high conditions than existing engines in its class. The RR500 turboshaft, now in development for market introduction in 2012, will deliver a variety of operational benefits including enhanced durability and lower total cost of ownership and operation.

The RR500 core is a scaled version of the RR300 turboshaft engine, which was launched in 2006 for initial application on the Robinson R66. The RR300 is certified and in serial production. In July 2009, Rotorway International selected the RR300 to power its new civil certified Eagle 300T turbine twin-seat helicopter. As part of this agreement, RR300 engines will be delivered to RotorWay International through 2017.

The CTS800 engine, designed, manufac­tured and supported by LHTEC (a partnership between Rolls-Royce and Honeywell) continues to achieve or exceed objectives and gain market share in the light to medium military helicopter segment. The CTS800 team was especially busy in 2009 supporting multiple development programs. Among the achievements of the past year were successful first flights of four different CTS800-powered platforms—the AgustaWestland Lynx AH Mk.9A, the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat, the AgustaWestland T129 and the first forward flight of the Sikorsky X2 high-speed technology demonstrator.

The RTM322 engine, produced in partnership with Turbomeca, has now logged more than 450,000 flight hours powering the AW101, NH90 and the UK Army Corps’ fleet of AgustaWestland WAH-64 Apache helicopters. In addition to proving itself during combat operations in Afghanistan, the growing fleet of RTM322 engines is delivering to the exacting requirements of government customers worldwide.

The Model 250 engine family continues to achieve new milestones, with more than 30,000 engines delivered to date. In addition to powering a range of helicopter and fixed-wing applications, the Model 250 is also a lightweight powerplant for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). In October 2009, the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV, powered by the Model 250, embarked on initial operational deployment with the U.S. Navy aboard the USS McInerney. In November, BAE Systems successfully conducted the first flight trials of its Model 250 turboprop powered Mantis UAV under a technology demonstration effort jointly funded by the UK Ministry of Defence.

LHTEC CTS800 Engine

In conclusion, despite the economic challenges of 2009, the underlying vitality of the rotorcraft industry remains. The Rolls-Royce helicopter engine team remains fully committed to meeting the diverse needs of the marketplace with high-value products and services, and looks to the future in anticipation of exciting times to come.

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